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Welcome to Scotsnet - discuss all aspects of life in Scotland, including relocating, schools and local areas.

Original poster

19 Edinburgh schools close.

93 replies

HirplesWithHaggis · 08/04/2016 19:48

www.scotsman.com/news/education/safety-fears-to-shut-19-edinburgh-schools-1-4095097

My dc aren't in school (or, indeed, Edinburgh) any more, but this is dreadful. 19 schools, all built under PPPI, will not reopen on Monday due to safety fears.

I wonder if this means compensation is due from the builders to the council? Where are all these dc to go? With exams looming too!

OP posts:
Groovee · 13/04/2016 20:26

Spoke to one of my young leaders tonight at brownies who says they are worried about being at a different school but she fancies getting some "on tour" tshirts made up. She's more worried about the bus because it's a single decker route, every 20 mins!

FannyFifer · 13/04/2016 20:35

These PFI schools were built under Labour when they were the Scottish exec.
These contracts were opposed by other parties as well as many of the councils.
Council funding in fact was withheld until they agreed with the contracts.
They cost the councils an absolute fortune each year.
Appalling for everyone affected by this.
I read an article about parents having to go to foodbanks as they were relying on kids being back at school and getting a hot meal. So awful.

Groovee · 13/04/2016 20:51

I saw that too about parents who rely on the hot meal struggling. Sad. I know when the schools closed for the snow, I struggled to ensure we had lunch as I hadn't bought lunch stuff in the food shop and I had just had surgery so effectively housebound. MIL phoned me for a shopping list for soup ingredients and bread and walked the kids to Tesco with their sledge. I was so grateful.

SocksRock · 13/04/2016 20:59

I'm a senior structural engineer for a local authority, I don't think we have any stock built by Miller - but certainly keeping a close eye on it - it's a horrendous situation.

NCE (trade mag) were reporting yesterday that Galliford Try are nearing completion on the repair works to 4 of the schools. I don't know whch ones.

TheTroubleWithAngels · 13/04/2016 21:50

This reply has been deleted

Message withdrawn at poster's request.

SocksRock · 13/04/2016 22:34

The faults reported appear to be wall tie/header tie related from what I can gather. These are not items that are visible once construction is complete, therefore wouldn't have ever needed to be maintained. They are stainless steel and are expected to last the life of the building. A standard maintenance schedule would never have picked up this fault. The first signs would be cracking, and at that point an intrusive survey would be required to discover that there were tie deficiencies.

StatisticallyChallenged · 14/04/2016 09:38

Latest update in the Evening News suggesting that some schools might not reopen until after the summer and that all 17 have faults of some description!

Groovee · 14/04/2016 11:12

A lot of disruption for all involved. Hard enough for some children but those in the special schools must be struggling too X

RoseDog · 14/04/2016 11:55

The Dundee schools don't seem to be in rush to actually inspect the schools and we are being told just to expect to go in as normal next week, there has been no activity at the 2 high schools involved as people who live close have been keeping an eye on the comings and goings and there have been none. Another parent who has a child at one of the primary schools says there is a big crack down the side of the school wall and has been for some time Shock

Groovee · 14/04/2016 18:03

Hearing reports of one of the schools who have taken the S4-6 year groups was in chaos. They were in main halls with no desks or books etc and we're just looking at text books for some classes. Quite a few friends have upset teens on their hands tonight.

Behooven · 14/04/2016 19:11

There must be an enquiry. The contract costs Edinburgh council £350,000 a week (just saw that in the news). Multiply that across the countries other schools and hospitals built under PFI - the sums must be astronomical. What a deal for the private companies involved 😡

StatisticallyChallenged · 14/04/2016 22:11

Just looked through all the arrangements, what an absolute mess. The kids are scattered and wedged in absolutely everywhere including at schools which were already full.

I can't believe there weren't better options - Edinburgh uni offered space and at this time of year they would have been able to provide a decent number of rooms in one place (or at least close together).

Perihelion · 15/04/2016 14:10

I'm sure there's insurance and safe guarding issues with using non-school/council buildings. I know DD's school has capacity atm as it had extra classes built last year. However these will be needed after the summer to accommodate yet another increase in the P1 intake.
I heard a rumour years ago that the planning dept didn't factor in a need for extra school places for all the Leith/Waterfront development as "families don't live in flats".......

Groovee · 15/04/2016 14:14

My friend's son called her yesterday asking for some money. The packed lunch provided was a tuna sandwich and an apple. The primary kids get more in their lunch.

He's not wanting to return.

prettybird · 15/04/2016 16:29

Perihelion - planning departments in all? councils don't predict capacity - they build to current requirements Hmm

Ds' old primary school has been re-built because it was bursting at the seams. So, they've built it to fit the current school role - despite the fact that across the road is a new complex of flats and social housing that at the moment are full of professional couples....Wink. There is no other school that those kids could go to (waste land, warehouses and motorway on the other side) so once those professionals procreate, they will have to go to ds' old school.

When this was pointed out to the council, they just said that when that happens, they'll reduce the catchment area Angry. More likely, they'll do what had originally happened to the "old" school: make all the "general use" rooms (like library, computer room) into classrooms and the problem will build up again Angry

StatisticallyChallenged · 15/04/2016 17:28

I'm sure there are insurance/safeguarding issues, but I run a childcare business (which has a lot of the same regs around these) and they're not insurmountable at all.

I know several of the schools they're using were already full.

Prettybird it's so true re predicting capacity, Edinburgh council are useless at it. They've made some allowances for future demand in the proposals for the new South Edinburgh primary school (taken account of some new developments although with pretty low child numbers IMO), but they've build the new Boroughmuir so it will already be full, then approved plans to turn the old site into a huge block of flats!

Kr1stina · 18/04/2016 00:16

This is really awful, I feel so sorry for everyone involved. I have a child in S5 going back to school tomorrow and she would be beside herself if she was missing so much just before the Highers. The teachers can't possibly work as normal under these conditions .

They really REALLY need to prioritise the S4-6 pupils at this time.

Groovee · 18/04/2016 09:09

Lots of people talking on Facebook groups about home schooling. Many moaning about the lunches being given out too.

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