Concerns raised about location of Mull school project

LEIP funding is awarded to “like for like” refurbishments or replacements, which means that the Mull Campus Project will result in a new 2 years to 18 years school to replace the existing campus in Tobermory.

Argyll & Bute Council recently confirmed that it has a shortlist of up to five potential sites, but it is currently refusing to identify them because doing so may “compromise any commercial negotiations that will require to take place with the landowners.”

Instead, a council spokesperson said that the current shortlist is “generally a mixed spread across the island with a small number in northern or Tobermory locations and a small number that are more central.”

Community input sessions launched in August created an initial “long list” of sites, which the council then pared down.

However, community members have said that their input up to this point has not been sufficient, or, at least, they haven’t been able to make the council understand how important site selection is and how any possible site will have far-reaching repercussions.

And they are worried they are running out of time.

The successful bid for LEIP funding for a new campus was awarded on October 2023 and given an expected opening date of December 2027.

For the Mull project, LEIP funding would cover up to 50% of eligible costs, and the financing will be based on the school and council meeting certain criteria.

LEIP funding cannot cover the costs of purchasing land, residential or hostel accommodation, and other expenses.

The council has been collecting data on potential sites over the past year, hoping to choose a site by early 2025.

But at a recent Mull community meeting, residents made it clear that they have concerns about the school’s location which cannot be ironed out in a few weeks.

Currently, Tobermory is home to the island’s only secondary school. But it is at least 90 minutes away from communities on the island's southwestern tip.

Because of this, many children attend high school in Oban and board there, including those who live on Iona, off the southwest coast of Mull.

Community members described a three-sided dilemma that they face when choosing a school site.

If the new school is built centrally, it could jeopardise the current nursery and primary provision in Tobermory. The council has made it clear that the “like for like” stipulations of LEIP funding won’t allow them to receive funding if they build nursery and primary facilities separate from the secondary school.

Some potential sites for the new Mull campus are in or around the town of Tobermory, but community members say they need to have more specifics. (Image: Damian Shields)

If the school is built in Tobermory, however, those in the south worry that they will miss out on a once-in-a-lifetime opportunity to have a school that allows children to remain on the island for high school and return home every night.

Residents of Iona worry that they might lose their funded places at Oban High School (including travel and boarding costs) if there is the option of a new school on Mull.

A group of parents on the Ross of Mull in the south have voiced concerns that their children may be excluded even though the Mull project is meant to support the whole island.

“We are worried that having engaged in a consultation programme our need for an accessible high school for all of the island is not being listened to,” the parents said.

Alison Mailey, a former boarder at Oban High School, and now a parent facing sending her child away to High School said that “sending your kids away at 11 shouldn’t be the norm.”

The parents added the new Mull Campus represents a new opportunity to have their children live at home full-time.

"This is a very normal thing; we are not calling for anything extraordinary.”

But the parents also pointed to the need for the island to work together as a unit, adding that a better outlook for those in the south shouldn’t come at the cost of the primary school in Tobermory.

“We do not think that our island community should be divided and set to gain or lose; we fully recognise that Tobermory needs its primary school."

When asked about the possibility of extending the selection period, a spokesperson for Argyll & Bute Council said that the council is in regular talks with the LEIP team and that there may be scope for more consideration.

“As the process progresses and in view of the feedback received from the community, we appreciate this is a complex issue that will involve looking at wider factors such as economic and island impact as well as technical and cost considerations.

“In that respect, the site selection process will likely stretch into the new year.”

But the spokesperson added that time will continue to be a factor, with costs expected to rise the longer the project is delayed.

“This is a crucial decision for the project so we will take the time to consider all relevant factors before a recommendation is made to full council. 

“At this point we do not anticipate there being a delay to the start of design work, currently planned to commence in Spring 2025, however, this will be closely monitored.”