Safety alert over school roof

PUPILS at a school where a nine-ton stone wall collapsed were yesterday ordered to stay inside the building after part of the roof became ‘loose and flapping in the wind’.

Flashing had become damaged at Oxgangs Primary – three weeks after a ceiling tile fell on top of a girl and part of a ceiling frame collapsed as pupils and staff left the room.

The building was one of 17 schools constructed or refurbished under a controversial £360million Public Private Partnership (PPP) deal, with concerns later raised about possible defects in the work.

Yesterday, Oxgangs staff and students were kept inside and a single exit was used to let the children leave the school at the end of the day.

In an email sent to parents at 1pm, headteacher Liz Walshe wrote: We became aware a section of flashing on the school’s roof was loose and flapping in the wind.

‘As a precaution, staff and pupils have been kept inside and only the main entrance is being used for coming in and out.’

She added: ‘We take the health and safety of our pupils and staff extremely seriously.’

Parents spotted two loose roof flashings directly above the wall that collapsed in high winds two years ago. Michelle Horsburgh, who has two boys at Oxgangs, said: ‘The school is falling apart. I’m really fed up with this. The old school was much better.’

Safa Habib, who also has two boys at the school, said: ‘It’s bad they haven’t yet completed enough checks, especially with the weather conditions we’ve been having.’

Last night, City of Edinburgh Council said: ‘Officers from the council and our PPP provider attended on-site immediately and it was made safe.’

Last month, after a lightweight tile fell on a schoolgirl – who was not hurt – City of Edinburgh Council ordered inspections at all 17 schools. Emergency checks were also carried out after the 2016 wall collapse.