The Catholic Church in Scotland has added its support to West Lothian’s plea for funding for the rebuild of St Kentigern’s Academy.
Archbishop Leo Cushley said he hoped the Scottish Government would help with the £35m cost to rebuild almost 60% of the school in Blackburn.
The Local Democracy Reporting Service revealed yesterday [Wednesday] the council faces a £30m bill and 30 year payback if it has to borrow £15m to complete the finance of the project.
The Archbishop of the Archdiocese of St Andrews & Edinburgh, which includes West Lothian, has become the latest high-profile figure to lend his support to the bid to secure vital funding for the school from Holyrood.
Archbishop Cushley said: “St. Kentigern’s Academy is recognised as one of the many excellent Catholic schools in the Archdiocese of St. Andrews & Edinburgh.
“To ensure in the future that St. Kentigern’s Academy continues to serve its pupils, families, and wider community as well as it has done over many years, I would hope that the Scottish Government would be able to support West Lothian Council with the rebuilding costs for the school.”
Lawrence Fitzpatrick, the council leader, told the LDRS: “Thanks to Archbishop Cushley for supporting our appeal for Scottish Government funding for St. Kentigern’s Academy in Blackburn.
“His invaluable backing reflects the views of the St. Kentigern’s community, who understand the importance of the school and our desperate need for financial support.”
Over 60% of West Lothian’s largest secondary school had to be demolished in 2023, due to reinforced autoclaved aerated concrete (RAAC).
West Lothian Council committed £20 million of the £35 million required for the rebuild project, which is due to be completed in 2026, with the remaining £15 million of funding still to be confirmed.
If the council does not receive any additional funding from the Scottish Government, the cost of repaying the £15 million loan required to complete the project is estimated at £1 million per year for 30 years, which would have a long-term impact on essential services across West Lothian for a generation.
Leader of West Lothian Council Lawrence Fitzpatrick added: “The Cabinet Secretary for Education and Skills visited St Kentigern’s earlier this year and agreed that it was a ‘most deserving case’.
“Following this meeting, myself and the Executive councillor for Education both had the clear impression of the Cabinet Secretary’s strong undertaking to support our request for funding.
“West Lothian Council has invested nearly £70 million of our tax-payers money into our schools to address issues caused by RAAC, despite the real terms reductions in the general capital funding grant we receive. We simply do not have any more resources and would need to borrow to bridge the remaining £15 million gap.
“Despite repeated requests to the Scottish Government, we still do not have any commitment of financial support for the rebuild of this vital resource two years after work first commenced.”
St Kent’s is the largest school in West Lothian with a capacity of over 1,400 pupils. It currently has a roll of 1,100. It is one of three RC high schools in the county – the other two are St Margaret’s in Livingston and Sinclair Academy in Winchburgh.
The school has eight feeder primaries but anyone can make a placement request to attend regardless of religion or none.
While the council’s policy states that baptised Roman Catholic (RC) children get priority at RC schools where demand exceeds places, because St Kentigern’s has spare capacity it has never been an issue.
By Stuart Sommerville, Local Democracy Reporter
