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Original poster

The school is on fire!!

144 replies

schoolonfire · 25/08/2019 21:14

Changed name as v outing, but dds high school has been on fire since 4.30 and is still spreading.

We’ve had a text to say the school will be shut tomorrow (obviously) but it’s looks so bad I think they’re going to lose the school altogether.

Has anyone any experience of what will happen to the students in this awful scenario? Dd has just started first year (Scotland). Just really pray nobody was hurt, so awful, can actually see the flames for miles.

OP posts:

Thread gallery

Nottsangel2015 · 25/08/2019 21:58

This happened to my Comp when I was at school. Luckily the school was in two big blocks and only one burnt down so we were squashed into one half of the school for a few weeks then they had porta cabin classrooms installed - took about a year altogether to rebuild that part of the school. It was also arson. Hopefully op they can put in portable classrooms whilst they rebuild rather than split the school. I remember been quite shocked and then it was rather exciting then then it was just normal to be the porta cabins.

stucknoue · 25/08/2019 22:00

It happened here, quite a few years back and the kids were distributed around other sites across the city with spaces and they had some portacabins at another school. The site in this case was sold off because it wasn't big enough (only 1 form entry isn't economical these days)

Passmethecrisps · 25/08/2019 22:01

I am really sorry - it must be horrible for the kids.

I worked in the same authority in a school which burned badly some years ago. It meant months of teaching in portakabins and flexibility from all concerned. As this school has a DAS thought that will be the major issue.

At the moment the level of damage isn’t known so there is little point in speculating but it has happened before and schools do get through it.

One blessing is that it is now rather than prior to the exams when vast amounts of evidence would have been lost.

chopper2311 · 25/08/2019 22:02

My high school completely burnt down around this time in the summer holidays when I was going into year 8. We had an extra long summer break (until early October) They erected a porta cabin community on the field for the next 2 years until we had a new school built!

gilliansgardenbench · 25/08/2019 22:03

This reply has been deleted

Message withdrawn at poster's request.

trilbydoll · 25/08/2019 22:03

My middle school had a fire when I was 9ish. We had 2 weeks off while they made the site safe then we went back to lots of portacabins on the field.

stucknoue · 25/08/2019 22:06

Apparently it's the additional support department rather than main school.

Myusernameisunique · 25/08/2019 22:06

I live near you OP, it’s not the school my DDs attend but theirs is part of the few that will merge together in the end. I wonder if this will hurry the plans to do that along? I think they’ll find places for the pupils in other schools or buildings of its not going to be sorted soon like they did with the primary school that caught fire a couple of years ago. The kids can’t just go without a school.

Original poster

schoolonfire · 25/08/2019 22:10

stuck it started in the additional needs department but it’s spread a lot worse now, don’t think the news are showing just how bad it is, just sad for all.

Seems like portacabins are the most likely solution.

OP posts:

unadulterateddad · 25/08/2019 22:10

Have dealt with a lot of these school fires when I worked for the insurance company that covered most schools.

Depending on the amount of space available (playing fields etc) a temporary portakabin school will be erected - takes about 12 weeks for everything to be up and running. in the meantime the children will either have a holiday break or be shipped to other schools . If a chunk of the school is left, they will clean and do temporary repairs to get it usable.
most of the portakabin school buildings are amazing - several schools said they were better than the originals ! The rebuilding of the school will take circa 2 years depending on the amount of damage.

FlibbertyGiblets · 25/08/2019 22:10

Awful. I saw it on the Jammers fb page. So sorry.

DontCallMeShitley · 25/08/2019 22:11

There are photos online, looks very bad.

ratspeaker · 25/08/2019 22:11

As I recallwhen one of theEdinburgh schools had to be shut a few years back they farmed the pupils and teacher out to other schools as much as possible

Witchend · 25/08/2019 22:13

Looks like they contained it to the Special Needs Unit and the dining Hall from this news:
The school will be closed to all pupils on Monday following the devastating fire which destroyed the special needs unit and spread to the dining hall.

From Local Newspaper (linked from BBC)

timshelthechoice · 25/08/2019 22:13

That'll be Dunfermline.

Original poster

schoolonfire · 25/08/2019 22:14

@unadulterateddad that’s really helpful thanks. They’re meant to be building a new school over the next few years combining this one and another, wonder if this will speed up that process?

@FlibbertyGiblets jammers has the best coverage, the comments section too. Although some eejit commented that was her £37 swimming lessons down the drain.... some people!

OP posts:

Original poster

schoolonfire · 25/08/2019 22:15

@Witchend that was 4 hours ago, it’s still burning now

I can post pictures of anyone wants, but I don’t want to be disrespectful.

OP posts:

Witchend · 25/08/2019 22:17

Fair enough. That was phrased so it sounded like it was all out.

Original poster

schoolonfire · 25/08/2019 22:18

@Witchend yip, I thought it was out then too but sadly not.

OP posts:

unadulterateddad · 25/08/2019 22:19

if the LA is looking to combine schools in the near future, then the sensible approach would be to spend the money on a new school ( although LA departments were never particularly sensible :) )

Whilst it's shocking, it won't have a negative effect on the schoolkids in the longer term

Cherrysherbet · 25/08/2019 22:19

My sons school burned down during the summer hols three years ago. Within three weeks they built a temporary school in the grounds. They have only just opened the new school recently. It was all very unsettling, both for students and teachers.

LonnyVonnyWilsonFrickett · 25/08/2019 22:20

It looks pretty bad op and like it's spread pretty far. How disruptive for all the DCs but particularly S1s who will just be getting settled. I know schools where you are are really full so think it will have to be a portacabin type set-up, rather than shipping pupils all over Fife for lessons.

unadulterateddad · 25/08/2019 22:22

in terms of the damage at the school, a lot will depend on the level of asbestos materials contained in the damaged buildings and how that's affected the raining buildings - that's often the most limiting factor along with smoke damage to all the equipment etc.

NewNameJust4Today · 25/08/2019 22:24

Woodmill? What a shame

LuciferTheCat · 25/08/2019 22:29

This is awful, so sad. I’d imagine that GCSEs just got a whole lot more stressful for those doing them this year.

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