Sgoil Lionail — Beyond The Scope of The Budget to Repair

Leaking roofs, dated building materials, reduced budgets and troublesome boiler systems have led to some rooms being unable to be used by pupils and others requiring regular repair. So much so that Chief Officer for Education and Children’s Services, Donald Macleod has recently visited Ness on two occasions to update parents and residents of Ness that during the most recent structural appraisal, it was determined that there were aspects of the school buildings that were ‘beyond the funding scope to repair.’ In short, the £1.25 Million* would not be enough to develop the infrastructure of a Community Gaelic Hub and complete the required upgrade and repairs to the school building(s).

When it was announced in June 2023 that CnES had secured £1.25 million pounds from Scottish Government’s 2023-24 Gaelic Capital Fund for the development of Sgoil Lionail and a new Gaelic Community Hub, there was a feeling of relief within the community – much needed renovation to the school could take place and the facilities for the children improved.

It soon became apparent, however, that such sentiments were perhaps a little optimistic. By February 2025, plans had been discussed but still not actioned. In Fios 675  the following update was provided by D. Macleod: “The funding was received by the Comhairle as a capital investment in Sgoil Lionail. Plans have been drawn up for improvement works and they have been provided to the school for the purposes of consultation. Due to a number of competing capital projects being undertaken by the Comhairle at the present time, the work remains scheduled but has not yet commenced. It is on a priority list of future works. The funding remains committed to Sgoil Lionail and has not been repurposed. Plans for its use have not been altered”.

Fast forward to three years later —  a new proposal has been made and discussed in detail at the most recent Sgoil Lionail Parent Council meeting (23rd April) and at the Ness Community Council meeting on Tuesday of this week (12th May). This proposal presents the favoured solution for a new school building to be developed on the existing Sgoil Lionail site.

At the NCC meeting on Tuesday, Donald presented the idea in more detail. Explaining that the cost of ‘making good’ the old school building had been estimated to be between £5 – 6 million, whilst the estimated cost of a new building has been estimated at £8 – 9 million. As such, this proposal is being put before the relevant Committee (on the 16th of June) and subsequent full Council meeting for approval. If approval is granted it does not mean a new building will be developed in the next couple of years —  the path will be long —public consultation will need to be completed, and a financial package developed. The details of this are not of course available yet but there is some clarification on the concept of the approach to the new build.

Firstly, Donald Macleod made it clear that identifying the need for a new school building would not instigate an opportunity for CnES to close Sgoil Lionail. The importance and necessity of not just retaining but also enhancing primary education at Sgoil Lionail for the current 71 pupils and future generations is, he confirmed, understood by CnES.

In addition to this, and in response to a question from Orjana Latenstein van Voorst (Chair of Spòrsnis) with regards to how a new building for Sgoil Lionail would impact Spòrsnis, particularly in relation to the on-going plans for the running of the swimming pool, the response was positive. Donald Macleod responded: ‘It is practical to work with the community to retain the swimming pool’ and that recent space modelling has focused on retaining the pool area. This was then discussed in more detail with it being acknowledged that extensive consultation with Spòrsnis and the community would be required. The intricate positioning and adjacency of Spòrsnis to the existing school building was acknowledged as providing both opportunities to take advantage of, and obstacles to overcome for the proposed development. It was also agreed however, that long-term potential plans should not interfere negatively with the short-term plans of Spòrsnis being able to make use of the pool in an official capacity. These discussions are on-going, but it was made very clear by Donald Macleod, that CnES has ‘No intention of severing the relationship with Spòrsnis’ and that the synchronicity of an existing sports hall and swimming pool, with a new school building and all-weather football pitch would continue to complement each other and support the health and well-being of the future generations of Ness.

*In June 2023, £1.25 million was awarded by the Scottish Government’s 2023-24 Gaelic Capital Fund to Sgoil Lionail, to become a ‘Gaelic Community Hub’.

Sgoil Lionail was opened in  September 1937, by Mr J. W. Peck, secretary of the Scottish Education Department, and set a standard for school buildings in Lewis. Up until June 2015, it consisted of a primary school and S1-S2 after which the secondary school was closed (despite public opposition) by Comhairle nan Eilean Siar, due to the low intake of pupils. Due to the cost of renovating the existing buidling(s) the current proposal being discussed by CnES is for a new school building to be developed.